Expansible frame hot topping apparatus

ABSTRACT

Hot topping apparatus comprises an expansible frame for applying lining slabs to the mould or head box walls, and a holder for refractory wedges, the holder being moveable to drive the wedges between the slabs to secure the lining in position.

United States Patent Eccleston et al.

EXPANSIBLE FRAME HOT TOPPING APPARATUS Inventors: Kenneth Thomas Eccleston; Roger Fieldhouse, both of Birmingham, England Assignee: Foseco International Limited,

Birmingham, England Filed: June 7, 1972 Appl. No.: 260,439

Foreign Application Priority Data June 16, 1971 Great Britain 28244/71 US. Cl. 164/339, 29/238, 294/81 R Int. Cl B22d 45/00 Field of Search 164/339, 137; 29/428, 238; 254/104; 294/81 R [111 3,815,664 [451 June 11, 1974 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,952,886 9/1960 Mazarakis 164/339 3,022,551 2/1962 Marburg 3,727,676 4/1973 Eccleston 164/339 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,195,919 7/1965 Germany 294/81 R Primary Examiner-Robert D. Baldwin Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT Hot topping apparatus comprises an expansible frame for applying lining slabs to the mould or head box walls, and a holder for refractory wedges, the holder being moveable to drive the wedges between the slabs to secure the lining in position.

6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 11 I974 3.815.664 SHEET 10F a 1 EXPANSIBLE FRAME HOT TOPPING APPARATUS This invention relates to methodsof and apparatus for hot topping.

In casting molten metal to form ingots it is customary to line the top of the ingot mould or a head box on such a mould, with a layer of heat insulating refractory material. It is naturally desirable to effect such a lining operation, so called hot-topping", as rapidly and economically as possible. Manual methods are time-consuming,

laborious and subject to variation, and it is thus desirable to hot top automatically. This is especially the case if the mould or head-box to be lined is hot and thus difficult to work on.

According to a first feature of the present invention there is provided a method of lining the head of an ingot mould or a head box therefor with a lining of refractory heat insulating material which comprises cating slabs of refractory heat insulating material on an expansible frame, and locating on a holder associated with the said frame one or more wedges of refractory heat-insulating material, the slabs and wedges together constituting a complete hot top, lowering the assembly of frame and holder so that the frame enters an ingot mould or head box, expanding the frame to urge the lining slabs into contact with the mould or head box wall, moving the holder downwardly to drive the wedges between the lining slabs and so form a complete hot-top, contracting the frame and removing the frame and holder from the ingot mould or head box. The frame and holder are preferably mounted together on a common support which is held firm during driving in the wedges by the frame pressing out against the mould wall. Thus, the need for outside support toenable the wedges to be driven in is removed, and this enables the construction of hot topping apparatus of great compactness and efficiency. i

The present invention accordingly provides hot topping apparatus comprising an expansible frame adapted to be inserted into an ingot mould or head box, therein to define an annular space between itself and the mould or head box walls, and, associated with theframe, a wedge holder adapted to hold one or more wedges of refractory heat-insulating material, and means for moving the wedge-holder relative to the frame and in a direction perpendicular to the plane of expansion of the frame to insert wedges held therein into the annular space.

The apparatus also preferably includes tapered guide members which are located in use below the expansible frame and which serve, by their taper to guide the whole apparatus into the mould or head box to be lined.

It is found that, both for apparatus as defined above, and foringot mould treating apparatus of other kinds also, such tapered guide members are valuable, especially if the apparatus in question is to be lowered into the mould or head box by a crane, hoist or the like.

Their value is enhanced if the apparatus is itself mounted on a common member from which it is suspended via a plurality of tension springs. The common member is itself preferably swivel mounted. All this serves to give the apparatus a degree of freedom of movement which allows of rapid response to impacts on the tapered guide members as the apparatus is moved into position.

The frame of the apparatus of this invention is preferably rectangular to match the shape of a rectangular section mould or head box, but other shapes, e.g., round, octagonal or hexagonal may be used with correspondingly shaped moulds or head boxes. A rectangular frame preferably comprises at least one projecting lug on one side of the rectangle and a latch member on an adjacent side of the rectangle, thereby to hold an L- shaped slab. The slab may be fitted over the lug, bent round the corner and engaged by the latch member. The lug is preferably retractable, for example by being fixed to a guide member as set forth above. The guide members may be so dimensioned and controlled that they may project from under the expansible frame at some stage and thus form a ledge to protect the base of a slab of refractory heat insulating material on the frame. Any combination of clips, latches, lugs or the like may serve to secure the slab in place on the frame.

A preferred mode of suspending the whole apparatus according to the present invention is on a roller carriage which is adapted to move longitudinally along a beam which itself may be swung about a wide arc in a horizontal place.

By way of example, an ingot mould hot-topping apparatus according to the present invention is illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, taken together. In order to simplify the drawings, all hydraulic or pneumatic lines'have been omitted, and in certain drawings, parts only of the apparatus are shown, other parts being omitted for the sake of clarity.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of half whole apparatus, but with the internal detail of-the lower half of the apparatus omitted.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the left hand lower half of the apparatus of FIG. 1, showing some of the internal detail.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the lower jalf of the apparatus taken partly along the lines 2-2 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the apparatus in use lining the top of an ingot mould with a layer of refractory heat-insulating material. In FIG. 4, most of the apparatus has been omitted for clarity, but the wedge insertion mechanism is partly shown.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numbers refer to like parts.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus consists basically of two assemblies, each of which includes a ram and a holder for heat insulating material. The first assembly consists of a ram 10 mounted between two subframes 11. The subframes are made of welded angle iron, as shown, and have the cross-sectional shape of a truncated square. By operation of the ram 10, the two subframes 11 may be moved together (until they abut) or further apart. The subframes ll slide on a pair of rods 12 when ram 10 is operated (see FIG. 3).

Mounted on the lower rod 12 are a pair of wooden guide members 13, which are tapered as shown so that they will tend to centre the whole apparatus as it is lowered into an ingot mould or head box to be lined. Brackets 14 are used to attach members 13 to rod 12.

Members 13 are eachconnected to their respective subframe 11 by means of two tension springs 15. The end of the piston rod of ram 10 bears an actuating plate 16 which runs on guide rods 12, and may abut sleeves 17 (which slide on rods 12) to push subframes 11 outwardly or it may abut brackets 14 to draw the two guide members 13 together. The two guide members 13 are biased apart by means of a compression spring 18 mounted on lower rod 12.

In order to hold an L-shaped lining slab of refractory heat-insulating material about subframe 11, two holding members are provided. The first is a pair of cylindrical lugs 21 mounted on a bracket 22 on guide member 13, and the second is a one or more spring or gravity operated latches 23 mounted on the top bar of subframe 11. In use, a slab 25 of lining material is engaged over lugs 21 (preferably these lugs engage pre-formed depressions in the slab) and then bent round the corner to an L-shape and engaged under latch 23. The projecting guide members 13 serve to protect the lower edge of the slab 25 when it is later lowered into the ingot mould.

To the upper portions of subframes 11 are fixed the lower ends of four vertical support rods 31. The upper end of each support rod 31 is connected via a tension spring 32 and a wire link 33 to a crosspiece 34, which is rotatably mounted on the piston of a ram 36 (FIG. 1). Ram 36 is carried by a roller carriage 37 which may traverse tracks 38 under power operation. The tracks 38 are mounted on a swivel post 39 which permits free swinging of the tracks in a horizontal plane. The combination of the swivel post 39, the tracks 38 and the free suspension of the apparatus through the springs 32 provides considerable latitude of movement to the apparatus to assist in aligning it in an ingot mould or head box.

Also mounted on top of one of subframes 11 is a frame 30 carrying an assembly of a ram 40, the piston rod 41 of which bears a crosspiece 42, at each end of which are mounted a pair of arms 43 adapted to grip the upper end of a wedge of refractory heat-insulating material 45. Each pair of arms 43 are biased together to grip a wedge 45 by means of a spring 46. Operation of the ram 40 may drive crosspiece 42 downwards or upwards, to insert wedges and to withdraw the crosspiece respectively.

Operation and use ofthe apparatus is as follows:

With the apparatus in the position as shown in FIG. 3, (in which the piston rod of ram is in mid-stroke.) and with piston rod 41 retracted into ram 40, two L- shaped slabs of refractory heat-insulating material are placed round subframes 11 as described above, and a wedge 45 sprung between each pair of arms 43.

The whole apparatus is then moved by carriage 37 and lowered into an ingot mould 50 to the desired level by means of ram 36 (FIG. 4). Latches 23 are engaged and lifted by the top of the mould. Entry of the apparatus into the mould is facilitated by the taper on guide members 13, which acts to centre and align the apparatus, which moves freely on its suspension.

Once steady in the mould, ram 10 is operated to force subframes l1 and guide members 13 apart. Guide members 13 first contact the mould walls and then subframes 11 move out further, with extension of springs 15, to press slabs 25 firmly against the walls of the ingot mould. This has the effect of holding subframes 11 firmly in the mould.

From this position, which is as shown in FIG. 4, ram 40 is operated to drive (by means of crosspiece 42) the two corner wedges 45 into the spaces between the two L-shaped slabs 25 and thus secure the hot top in the mould. Ram 40 is then operated to withdraw crosspiece 42, and the wedges 45 are left in position.

Ram 10 is now operated to draw subframes 11 together. These move together (pulled by springs 15) until they abut, and further movement of ram 10 now moves guide members 13 together until they are wholly underneath subframes 11. Movement of guide members 13 also withdraws lugs 21 from slab 25, so that the whole apparatus cannow be lifted clear of the ingot mould without disturbing the hot top. Once clear of the mould, ram 10 is operated to mid-stroke to bring guide members out from under subframes 11, and the whole procedure may then be begun again for the next ingot mould.

Alternative but similar forms of apparatus to that described above may be constructed to apply a single long slab about four walls with one fixing wedge, or to apply two, three or four slabs with one, two, three or four corner wedges.

We claim as our invention:

1. In hot topping apparatus comprising a laterally expansible frame adapted to be inserted into a vertical ingot mould or head box, therein to provide an annular space between itself and the mould or head box walls and means for expanding the frame to urge hot top [in ing slabs located on the outside of the frame against the mould or head box walls, the improvement which comprises, a wedge holder mounted on said frame and adapted to hold at least one wedge of refractory heat insulating material, and ram means for moving the wedge holder vertically from a position in which at least one wedge in the holder is suspended above the annular space to a position in which the wedge is inserted into the annular space between said slabs.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 and including tapered guide members which are located in use below the expansible frame and which serve, by their taper, to guide the whole apparatus into the mould or head box to be lined.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 and comprising a common mounting member bearing a plurality of tension springs by which the remainder of the apparatus is suspended.

' 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the common member is swivel mounted.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the frame is rectangular, and comprises at least one projecting lug on one side of the rectangle and a latch member on an adjacent side of the rectangle, thereby to hold an L- shaped slab.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the lug is retractable and fixed to a guide member.

a: a: a: =1: 

1. In hot topping apparatus comprising a laterally expansible frame adapted to be inserted into a vertical ingot mould or head box, therein to provide an annular space between itself and the mould oR head box walls and means for expanding the frame to urge hot top lining slabs located on the outside of the frame against the mould or head box walls, the improvement which comprises, a wedge holder mounted on said frame and adapted to hold at least one wedge of refractory heat insulating material, and ram means for moving the wedge holder vertically from a position in which at least one wedge in the holder is suspended above the annular space to a position in which the wedge is inserted into the annular space between said slabs.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 and including tapered guide members which are located in use below the expansible frame and which serve, by their taper, to guide the whole apparatus into the mould or head box to be lined.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 and comprising a common mounting member bearing a plurality of tension springs by which the remainder of the apparatus is suspended.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the common member is swivel mounted.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the frame is rectangular, and comprises at least one projecting lug on one side of the rectangle and a latch member on an adjacent side of the rectangle, thereby to hold an L-shaped slab.
 6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the lug is retractable and fixed to a guide member. 